


I'll come back to you

by Alja



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Based on the Melody of Memory Trailer, F/M, Not canon-compliant, Not my usual fluff, Sora is the Master of Masters, written before I finished playing Melody of Memory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29400462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alja/pseuds/Alja
Summary: To find a hint of how to bring Sora back, Kairi asks Ansem the Wise for help. They decide not only to search her heart, but also visit the Final World once more, to see if Sora had washed up there just like before.Instead, she finds the person responsible for her misery.
Relationships: Kairi/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10





	I'll come back to you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PhoenixDowner](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixDowner/gifts).



> This is a gift fic for PhoenixDowner. I wish I could write her as many wonderful fanfics as she wrote for me, but for now, this will have to do.  
> Thank you for everything ♥
> 
> This fanfic was planned around the time the second Melody of Memory trailer was released and finished before I started playing the final portion of the game. As such, I wrote this completely ignorant of what would happen in the game and any similarities are just my very awesome prediction skills ;D Though as you will see, I have also missed the mark by a lot xD

_"I'll come back to you, I promise."_

_Despite her tear streaked face, Kairi clearly saw Sora's lips curl into a soft smile._

_"I know you will," she whispered in response and Sora's eyes lit up in recognition of her words before he squeezed her hand reassuringly._

_And then, without a warning, he vanished._

Blinking a few stray tears away, Kairi opened her eyes again. She found herself in the middle of an endless crystal clear sea that was magically shallow enough for her to stand in. Her appearance had caused small waves in the ocean as did her turning around in every direction before she stilled. The waves slowly ebbed away and everything went silent as her heart fell.

 _He_ wasn't there.

She closed her eyes, willing the usual tears that threatened to spill away, enjoying the soft feeling, until she heard a faint splash behind her. She quickly rubbed the back of her hand over her eyes and turned around to see that Riku had appeared. His steps towards her disrupted the perfect image of the wide blue sky above them that the water mirrored.

"This is it?" he asked her sceptically, but soon his expression morphed into wonder when Kairi nodded. "The place where 'the edges of death and sleep touch'," he murmured, "sure looks different than I imagined. It's beautiful."

Kairi swallowed hard. Of course, Riku was right, but to Kairi, the world had lost its beauty.

“You don’t look any different,” Kairi brought up instead and looked Riku up and down who flinched.

“Huh?! What do you mean?”

“You’re my Dream Eater, aren’t you? You dove into the dream Ansem the Wise put me into to search my heart for clues of—”

Her lip trembled.

“What?! Did you expect me to grow cat ears and a tail?”

Despite the pain in her heart, Kairi couldn’t help but giggle at Riku’s flabbergasted expression.

“Don’t blame me, Chirithy is the only other Dream Eater I have met! I thought all Dream Eaters looked like him!”

Riku huffed indignantly, but then he grinned at her.

“Well, to be fair, Chirithy is probably the most subdued Dream Eater to be compared to. The others are quite… colorful. And can take on the craziest shapes. I’m surprised Sora hasn’t introduced you yet.”

The pain in her heart grew stronger once more and Kairi averted her eyes. She heard a splash and saw the ripples in the water slosh against her boots. Riku must have taken a step towards her.

“Kairi, I—”

“What's next?" Kairi asked instead of answering him. He was quiet for a moment before he continued.

“We need to make sure this is the real Final World and not a dream version of yours. See if it worked.”

Kairi nodded. It was scary knowing that she had been put under enough sedatives that there might be a genuine chance for her to never wake up again, but that was why Riku had joined her. To make sure she wouldn’t cross the line. Ansem the Wise had warned her that he couldn’t justify using a higher dosage than he already had and if that wasn’t enough—Kairi shook her head. She didn’t want to think about giving up.

“Do you see that?”

Kairi looked up and followed the direction in which Riku pointed. Something seemed to glimmer a couple of inches above the surface of the water.

“Yeah. What is it?”

“You haven’t seen anything like that when you were here the last time?”

Kairi shook her head.

“Good. That means we must be in the real Final World then.”

Riku set off and Kairi quickly followed suit.

“Chirithy said that some hearts stay in this world. People with unfinished business. Whenever their heart holds onto something, they refuse to pass on. And knowing Sora and his promise to return to you, he’d refuse big time.”

Kairi’s heart picked up its beat and she put her hand over it.

“You know about his promise?”

“It was all over his face when he set out to bring you back,” Riku replied with a sad smile before coming to a halt and extended his arm to stop Kairi from walking further. Right in front of them, a glistening, translucent star hovered above the ground. Carefully, Kairi peeked around Riku.

“So this is a heart that is holding onto its existence?”

“I suppose so.”

“Let’s talk to it, then.”

“Wait, Kairi!”

But Kairi had already stepped around Riku and walked up to the star to bend down, resting her hands on her knees.

“Hello?”

“Good day,” a female voice from inside the star replied. Kairi couldn’t help the way her shoulders sagged in disappointment. She shouldn’t be disappointed, really; Sora’s heart not being separate from his body was definitely preferable to the alternative, but she couldn’t help but long for the sound of his voice. Anything to prove to her that he wasn’t gone for good.

“You’re like _him_ ,” the voice pulled Kairi out of her musings, “you, too, look like a person. No. You _are_ a person. Who are you?”

“My name is Kairi. I’m looking for—,” she hesitated and folded her hands over her heart, “I’m looking for someone very special to me.”

“Your heart pines for this person.”

It wasn’t a question, but still, Kairi nodded, and she felt a gentle breeze blowing through her hair.

“A boy passed through here, twice. Once he was barely more than a heart himself, but the second time, he was like you, heart and body united. You remind me of him. There’s something that ties you together, even across worlds.”

“The paopu fruit,” Kairi muttered to herself and the star in front of her shone a little brighter in response.

“He was looking for a way out the last time he was here. Looking to return to who his heart pines for.”

The breeze turned into a sizable wind that now managed to ruffle up her hair. A little concerned, Kairi looked over her shoulder and at Riku who also seemed more tense now. Something felt off.

“He has a strong sense of purpose,” the star continued, “and I have no doubt it will lead him back to you.”

“Can you tell me his name?” Kairi asked, gently rubbing her forearms now. She couldn’t suppress the goose bumps that were forming on her skin as the wind grew stronger and stronger.

“His name? His name is—”

But Kairi didn’t get to hear the answer. A strong gust blew over the world, picking up droplets of water from the ground that now rained down on her. She quickly crossed her arms in front of her face for protection and waited for the wind to calm down. Once it did, Kairi carefully dropped her guard and turned around to Riku—only to see the endless water stretch out in front of her.

“Riku? Riku!”

She turned left and right, but the water was completely still and everything was silent until she heard a faint _splish splash_ behind her and whirled around.

Instead of Riku, she was greeted by a tall figure wearing a black robe.

Kairi instinctively took a step back, but then she took on a defensive stance and glared at her opponent.

“Xehanort! How _dare_ you show up here?”

He didn’t answer her. He silently took a step towards her and Kairi seamlessly took another step back.

“You're the one who keeps messing with my fate. You experimented on me! You put a seal on my powers! If it weren't for what you've done, then Sora—,” she swallowed hard, trying to control her emotions, “—Sora and everyone would be safe.”

But something didn’t add up and Kairi furrowed her eyebrows.

“You can’t be here. You… you passed on. On your own will. Together with Aqua’s master. You have no reason to linger here.”

He took another step forward, but Kairi was too preoccupied to even notice. Maybe she slipped back into her dream? Maybe that was why Riku was gone, she got pushed off the edge between sleep and death and fully fell back into sleep and that might have kicked him out.

“You’re not real,” she muttered, “you’re here to haunt me. To remind me of my weakness. No more.” With a flick of her wrist, Destiny’s Embrace materialized in her palm and she gripped the cold metal tightly. “I’ve been working to undo your damage. Working on unlocking the seal. And I will succeed, you hear that? I won’t be a hindrance anymore! Even if you're not really here and this is just a memory or illusion… I won't let you walk away! Not again!”

Kairi dashed forward and jumped, swinging her Keyblade in a big half circle to force it down on the figure, but the stranger managed to draw a weapon in defense. The impact of the clash hurled Kairi back and before she could regain her balance and land on her feet, she caught a glimpse of the stranger's weapon, causing her to fall onto the water's surface and soaking the back of her dress upon recognition.

The robed figure wielded a Keyblade, simple gold guard and a long, silver shaft with teeth that resembled a cut-out crown. 

"Who are you?" she asked, voice trembling a little before she dug Destiny's Embrace into the glass-like ground to help her push herself up again. "Who are you and why are you wielding the Kingdom Key?!"

With a loud cry, she charged the figure again. He easily avoided her attacks, but he only ever raised his Keyblade to deflect her strikes, never to try and hit her himself. For a while, Kairi tried to land a blow, but to no avail, until her frustration got the best of her and she kicked the stranger in the stomach. He stumbled back with a gasp and clutched his midsection and Kairi used the distraction to throw her Keyblade at him in a Strike Raid. Once again, he avoided the attack, but the resulting flurry of wind blew off his hood and revealed his face to Kairi. Her Keyblade returned and whirled past her, but she was too preoccupied with the identity of the stranger who wasn’t a stranger at all.

Brown hair stuck into every direction possible except for his bangs which were uncharacteristically smoothed over one eye, only allowing a glimpse at a single deep-blue eye that tried to stare deep into her soul. He looked a little older than her, maybe nineteen or twenty at most, and he had definitely grown another couple of inches, but this was still undoubtedly—

“Sora?”

“Kairi,” he answered, his voice hoarse but full of emotion and longing, “I found you.”

“Is it really you? Sora, what happened to you?”

She stumbled forward and wanted nothing more than to throw herself into his arms, holding him and never letting him go, but this didn’t add up. Nothing added up!

“I found you,” he repeated instead and like two opposing poles of a magnet pulling each other inevitably together, he stepped forward, until they were finally close enough for him to raise a gloved hand and brush a strand of her behind her ear. A shudder ran down her back.

“What happened?” she asked him again, barely whispering as she now was close enough to see beneath his bangs. They were covering a big, black eyepatch that she gently touched with the tips of her fingers. Sora immediately melted into her touch and pressed his cheek against her open palm. “What happened to your eye?”

“I had to do it,” he replied as his fingers lingered on her temple and she felt his other hand reach out for hers. She grabbed it and interlaced their fingers despite the gloves he was wearing. “It was the only way.”

“The only way to do what?”

“To save you.”

Another shudder ran down her back and she felt Sora inch closer to her, but other than before, it didn’t comfort her. Something felt off.

“What do you mean?”

“I tried, Kairi. I promise you, I tried. So many times,” Sora explained and his pupil widened, resulting in a crazed expression on his face, “I tried saving you, but nothing helped. You died, again and again. No matter what I did! That was the only way!”

“I don’t understand—”

“I had to become the Master of Masters to save you.”

Kairi’s blood ran cold and she slowly drew back her hand, cradling it against her chest. Sora took a step forward, seeking her warmth again, but Kairi stumbled back, releasing his other hand as well as she tried to put some distance between the two of them.

“What are you saying?”

“You were supposed to die, but I couldn’t let that happen! I just couldn’t. I had to find a way to save you—”

“You’re not Sora!” she exclaimed and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to calm herself down. It didn’t work. “Sora would never—”

“I died for you. And I’m okay with that. I’d do it all over again, as long as you live. But I foolishly promised to come back to you and I broke too many promises already.”

“No, you can’t be him. You have to be an impostor.”

“You want proof?”

Sora took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A large wing erupted from his back, long and gracefully spreading to its full length. And in response, Kairi felt her own wing erupt from her left shoulder blade. Only her feathers were pure white while Sora’s feathers were black as night.

“Sora, no… what happened to you?”

“Come with me,” he pleaded with her, “fate has been torturing us, again and again and again. Ripped us apart, made me break my promises to you. Not for one more second. Kairi, let me be with you. Let us be together—”

“I—I don’t know—”

“Everything will be okay again as long as we are together.”

“How can it be okay when your wing is black? Your eye is missing? When you… you’re the Master of Masters?! You’re the reason we suffered?”

“It was the only way to save you,” he repeated once more and Kairi couldn’t stomach it anymore. She stumbled backwards, away from him and saw the frustration and sadness in his face grow.

“Kairi, come with me. Everything will be alright, we’re finally together! Like we always wanted to be.”

“No. You can’t be my Sora, _my_ Sora would never do this!”

“Stop slipping away from me!” he growled in frustration and it was such a deep and menacing sound that for the first time in her life, Kairi was genuinely scared of him. She clutched her necklace in desperation and suddenly, a huge ball of light grew inside of her, bursting out and enveloping her, spreading over the entire world. She saw Sora brace himself against the force of her light, arms raised to protect his face, but the light pushed at him, pushing him away from her. She saw hurt cross his remaining eye and her heart couldn’t help but hurt in response when she saw him disappear.

Kairi let out a huge scream and fell to her knees, half-heartedly punching the ground as she wailed and she continued wailing even as she felt fingers curl around her shoulders and Riku try to calm her down, but it didn’t help. This wasn’t how she wanted to find Sora. This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to go!

A gentle breeze blew through her hair and she heard Sora’s—no, the _Master of Master’s_ voice—in her head.

_“I’ll come back to you. I promise.”_

But other than the times before, his words didn’t bring her any comfort.


End file.
